


Can't Look Back

by WiseBlondeHunter



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Isaac's kind of a wimp in the first chapter, Multi, Original Character(s), Past Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-19
Updated: 2014-12-28
Packaged: 2018-02-09 12:09:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1982442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WiseBlondeHunter/pseuds/WiseBlondeHunter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A girl stumbled into the police station. She was soaked to the bone and stumbling towards the reception unsteadily. </p><p>Scott was out of his chair almost immediately. He could smell it in the air; she was scared. </p><p>Scott grabbed her shoulders as she pitched forwards.</p><p>“Hey, are you okay?” The girl nodded and tried to get her footing back.</p><p>“I need some help.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. How Isaac Got His Ass Kicked

A storm was raging outside of the Beacon Hills Police Station.

Scott and Isaac had just barely gotten there in time to avoid getting caught in it. The wind was howling and the rain hit the windows loudly. That was why it was so surprising that someone was outside.

A motorcycle engine could barely be heard through the storm. Two minutes later, a girl stumbled into the police station. She was soaked to the bone and stumbling towards the reception unsteadily. Scott was out of his chair almost immediately. He could smell it in the air; she was scared. Scott grabbed her shoulders as she pitched forwards.

“Hey, are you okay?” The girl nodded and tried to get her footing back.

“I need some help.” It seemed to pain her to say those words. Scott looked around. Isaac was still sitting in one of the chairs. No one was at the reception desk and the Sheriff was all the way in the back of the station.

“Do you have a gun?” Her gravelly voice brought Scott back to the present.

“What?”

“Do you have a gun?” she asked, green eyes blazing.

“Um, no. Why?” She struggled to her feet and started limping across the lobby. Scott noticed that she had a slash spanning the length of her calf.

“What happened?” The girl shook her head and moved to go back outside. Scott grabbed her again and pulled her around to face him.

“What happened?” he asked again. The girl bit her lip and started to say something. She was interrupted by a loud howl. Her head whipped to the door.

“It’s here.” She ran around the reception desk and started looking through it. After a moment of frantic searching, she emerged with a gun and ran outside. Scott and Isaac were on her heels.

Everything was quiet in the parking lot, save for the rain. Isaac’s head turned to the forest beside them and instant before something came barreling towards them. It was Ethan and Aiden. The girl fired a few rounds before Scott tired to grab the gun. 

“Don’t hurt them!”

“What are you talking about?” The girl moved a few steps away, out into the downpour. This time she took careful aim. Unfortunately, that gave the beast time to grab her motorcycle and chuck it at her head. She just barely managed to duck out of the way.

“My bike! That’s it, you bastard!” She emptied the whole clip but the beast was already retreating. It disappeared into the forest with another howl. The girl threw the gun on the ground and ran down the road where her motorcycle was lying.

She retrieved two duffle bags and walked back, muttering quietly under her breath. Scott heard the doors of the police station open. Stiles, Sheriff Stilinski, and Deputy Parrish came running out.

“What happened?” Stiles shouted. The girl picked up the empty gun and handed it to Parrish.

"What was that?” she asked quietly. None of the men answered.

“What the hell was that?!” she shouted. Nobody answered her.

Parrish put a hand on her shoulder and started leading her towards the station. The look on his face was strange. It was almost like he recognized her.

“Do I know you?” The girl shook her head and started edging away from him.

“It’s okay. Let’s get you inside and we’ll take your statement, alright?” The girl started towards the station but paused. In the window there was a poster that had big red letters that read WANTED accompanied by the girl's picture. Parrish looked from the poster to the girl and reached for his handcuffs.

“Sheriff, this girl is Reese…”

He was cut off by the girl punching him the face. He dropped his cuffs and clutched his nose. Sheriff Stilinski grabbed her from behind. She leaned forwards and Sheriff went sprawling onto the asphalt. She delivered a kick to make sure that Parrish wasn’t getting up. The teenage boys hung back, waiting for their chance. While she grabbed her bag from the ground, Isaac grabbed her with one hand at her waist and one tangled in her hair.

“Scott, get the cuffs,” he gritted out as the girl trashed around. Scott managed to get her hands behind her back and cuff them tightly. The girl fell to the wet asphalt. She was finally quiet as Isaac hauled her to her feet, leaving Scott and Stiles to help up the cops.

“What’s your name?” Isaac asked quietly, trying to calm her down.

“Go to hell,” she hissed. Isaac rolled his eyes and shoved her towards the station.

Scott turned his attention away from the girl and back to helping Parrish up.

* * *

 

The girl, Reese, was writhing and struggling as Isaac dragged her into the station.

“What’s going on?” Rafael McCall peeked his head out from his office. Isaac just nodded to Reese.

“Where should I put her?” Since the station had no official holding cell, Rafael motioned to the row of chairs.

“Wait for the sheriff to get back.” Isaac unlocked the handcuffs from one hand and chained the other end to the back of the chair. Reese scoffed.

“Really?” Her green eyes glinted dangerously. Her hair curled as it dried from the rain.

Isaac turned to the door as it opened. Parrish walked in first with his nose gushing blood. Sheriff Stilinski followed with a murderous look in his eyes. Reese grinned and waved at them.

“Hello, boys. How’s it going?” Stilinski just walked into his office. Parrish walked up and knelt in front of her.

“Would you like a lawyer now or later?”

“Am I under arrest?” Parrish stood up, removed his wet jacket, and walked over to the reception counter. He leafed through a few papers, ignoring the blood that dripped on them, and returned.

“Reese Davis. Born on November 17th, 1997 in Augusta, Maine. Moved to Arizona when you were six. Moved to Texas when you were twelve. Killed a man when you were 15. Been on the run ever since. Charges include evading arrest, theft, breaking and entering. Do I need to go on?” Reese smiled sarcastically.

“Why stop there?” Parrish knelt again. He started speaking in hushed tones so that Isaac couldn’t hear. Reese just rolled her eyes and shook her head.

“You can wait here while I call your lawyer.” Parrish disappeared into the office. Reese sunk down farther in her chair. She raised her right hand, the unchained one, to her mouth and started biting at the skin by her nails.

She wasn’t unattractive. Her round face was youthful and the freckles that painted her skin were endearing. She started shrugging out of her black sweatshirt. Water sprayed everywhere as she tried to pull it over her head with one hand. The black fabric bunched around her left wrist. She looked at it and then sighed.

“Not your first time in handcuffs?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” Reese rebuffed any feeble attempts at conversation with monosyllabic answers or no answers at all. She tapped her feet on the linoleum floor rhythmically. She hummed under her breath with the only other noise being the taping of keyboard keys or the occasional rattling of her handcuffs. It stayed that quiet for twenty minutes.

“What?! Get a response team out there now!” Every cop on duty in Beacon Hills rushed out the doors and to the squad cars. Isaac and Reese perked up, both hoping to leave. Sheriff Stilinski, Stiles, and Scott all ran out with them. Isaac ran to catch up.

“What happened?”

“Someone’s attacking the hospital.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know.” Stilinski stepped into his conversation with Scott.

“Isaac, I need you to stay here. Reese is a very dangerous girl and we need someone who can handle her.”

He was more than angry; he was outraged. Something was happening and he had to stay?! But while he could disobey the sheriff, he couldn’t disobey a pack member.

Scott eyes flashed just for a moment, a warning to tell Isaac to back down. Isaac whimpered in the back of his throat and walked back to the station.

The air conditioning in the station was heaven compared to the humid air outside. Reese had shifted so that she was lying across two chairs with her hands crossed on her stomach.

“Oh, good. My keeper’s back,” she remarked. Isaac sat down next to where her head was.

“Just trying to make sure that my charge hadn’t run away.” Reese chuckled slightly.  She reached behind her head and ripped the scarf from his neck, slightly choking him in the process. She balled it up and put it where her head lay against the arm rest.

“Thanks,” she offhandedly said. Isaac decided not to pick a fight over it. A few minutes passed with Reese sucking her teeth and humming. Isaac was about to lose his mind after the first few minutes.

“Hey, loser,” she said, tapping Isaac’s shoulder.

“Okay, my black duffle is on the ground over here. Can you get it?” She pointed with one hand to where her duffle bags lay discarded on the ground. The one she was talking about had cursive lettering on the front. Reluctantly, Isaac got up and retrieved said bag. She dug through the side pocket (with the name ‘Haley’ embroidered on it) and came up with three dollar bills.

“Can you get me a soda?” she asked.

_Will this girl ever stop?_

Isaac walked over to the vending machine and got her a Dr. Pepper and bought himself a Diet Coke. When he turned around, Reese was lying with her arm covering her face. He chucked the soda at her.  _“_

 _Oof!”_ Reese’s body jerked as the bottle hit her stomach. She chuckled lightly and opened it. Barely three minutes went by before Reese spoke again.

“Wanna play Never Have I Ever?” Isaac rolled his eyes. It wasn’t that she was annoying; he just didn’t want to talk to someone when he was in a bad mood. He muttered something under his breath.

“What was that, Blue Eyes?”

“I don’t know how to play.” Reese chuckled again. She quickly explained the rules: if you have done something, you drink. You haven’t, you don’t drink.

She started off the game.

“Never have I ever… done drugs.” Isaac grudgingly took a sip of his soda. The laugh that filled the room was shockingly loud. Reese’s shoulder shook and she had to sit up to avoid spilling her soda. When her laughter faded to giggles, he asked her why she was laughing.

“I didn’t expect to get you on that one!” she giggled. Her laugh sounded nice. She fell quiet for a moment, biting at her lip, barely hiding the smile forming on her face.

"Was it cocaine?"

"Okay, my turn!”

Isaac could keep this game lighthearted and make her laugh more. Or he could be an asshole and bring up her arrest. He decided to take the high road.

“Never have I ever… gotten blackout drunk.” Reese took a long drink of her soda.

“More than once?”

“Sue me.” It was Isaac’s turn to laugh. Reese sprawled out as much as she could with one arm behind her. 

“Never have I ever… worn a scarf when it’s hot outside.”

“What does everyone have against the scarf?”

Reese laughed and reached between their seats where the scarf had fallen. She picked it up and wrapped it around her own neck. She mockingly posed like she was on the cover of Vogue. Isaac intended to snatch it back but caught some of her blonde hair. It had been slowly drying since she entered the building; now there was barely a trace that it had been wet at all. Reese set her soda down on the floor while Isaac tried to get his hand back. He only tangled it more and probably hurt her head in the process. She expertly untangled Isaac’s fingers from her hair. They were both giggling uncontrollably by the end of the ordeal.

“Sorry,” Isaac said. Reese waved it off as she reached for her soda, racking her brain for the next question.

Their game continued until the sodas were gone. Isaac learned that Reese had never had sex, kissed both genders (and then some), never been out of the country, and had been to Disneyland and Disneyworld.

Reese grew pensive as their game ended. Isaac nudged her shoulder with his.

“You’re a pretty cool guy, Blue Eyes,” she commented. “It’s a shame.”

“A shame that… what?” Isaac asked, anticipating a joke or snide remark.

“That I have to do this.” Quick as lightning, she was on her feet.

The chairs weren’t bolted to the ground so she lifted it up effortlessly. Isaac tried to get up but she pinned him in place with the chair legs. He wanted to fight back but knew he’d inflict damage that he couldn’t repair or explain away.

“I really am sorry,” she said before she raised the chair and hit him in the head. It only took two solid hits before the world went dark.

Minutes or hours later, Isaac woke up with a throbbing in his temple. He struggled up and started towards the door. His feet knocked over something on his way.

A bottle of water from the vending machine and a bottle of pills. Ibuprofen.

A small note was sitting next to them both.  _You’re gonna need these._

Isaac knocked back two Ibuprofen as Scott and Stiles ran in.

“Where is she?” Isaac looked at the spot where a chair was missing and two soda bottles had been discarded. Dread filled the pit of his stomach as the sheriff hauled him to his feet. He shrunk back, expecting to be hit or yelled at.

Instead the sheriff said, “It’s not your fault. She overpowered you. She’s been known to do that.” Isaac nodded, not looking up from his shoes.

Reese didn’t just overpower him. She tricked him, outwitted him.

And the worst part? He let her.


	2. How Reese Almost Died

The forest was dense and dark. The road had long since faded from view.

Reese panted as she ran, tripped, got up, and ran again, the whole cycle repeating itself. She paused and put her hands on her knees and tried to catch her breath. Her lungs burned with cold fire.

One of the most hindering things was the chair still chained to her wrist. She noticed that the chairs weren’t bolted down when Blue Eyes followed his friends outside. It didn’t take much time for her to make a plan.

Her plan was backfiring as she trampled through the forest. Her bags seemed to drag her shoulders down more and more every second. Another plan popped into Reese’s head.

She let her bags fall to the ground, the sound muffled by a thick coating of pine needles. With three heavy thwacks against a tree, the chair was splintered. There was nothing that she could do about the handcuffs for now but it was a lot easier to walk.

Twenty minutes passed and, as the adrenaline rush faded, Reese started shivering. She felt them start up slowly, going from her head, shaking her shoulders, and then tingling down her legs. Soon she couldn’t stop them. The fierce wind cut right through her t-shirt.

 _Why did I leave my sweatshirt with the chair?_ It hadn’t occurred to her to pick up her sweatshirt once it fell from her wrist.

“Too late now,” she muttered. It was comforting to hear her own voice, no matter how shaky. She tried to open her bag but found that her fingers weren’t working properly. The zipper seemed to dodge her fingers that were turning deathly white. _Better keep going then…_

One second, Reese was trudging through the forest, the next, she was face down. _How did that happen?_

She struggled up, readjusted her bags, and kept going. She noticed that she wasn’t shivering as much. It was coming in short bursts, shocking her to the core.

 _That’s good, right? I must not be as cold._ Her shivering had completely stopped but she kept tripping. Her boots were unusually heavy and dragged her feet down with every step.

 _Take them off._ She knelt down and unlaced her black leather boots with fumbling fingers. The ground felt nice under her feet. She wiggled her toes (or tried to) before continuing on.

Every so often, she’d get caught by a branch or a bush. Her loose t-shirt was also hindering her. _Okay, take that off too?_ It felt good to be free of the extra fabric as she marched on with her tank top on.

After a while, it didn’t feel so good anymore. In fact, it was getting colder by the second.

Stumbling, falling, getting up, stumbling, falling, getting up. It all blurred together in her mind. She saw it right before she face-planted into the ground. A porch light.

Try as she might, Reese could not force her body to go faster. She was already weighed down by her bags and the fact that her toes were stiff and unmoving.

_Closer… closer… there._

Reese tripped up the walkway and scrapped both of her palms raw. She was hyperventilating as she reached the door. Barely able to raise her arm, she pounded on the door. The action took too much out of her and she sank to the ground. She had just begun to fall asleep when the door opened.

“Oh my god!” Someone was trying to pull her up from the ground. _Let me stay here. I’m comfortable here._

“Jackson! Get out here!”

“What the hell are you…? Who’s this?”

“Just help me get her inside.” A pair of arms slid under her, lifting her from the ground. The inside of the house was scorching. Everything was blurry and she couldn’t speak, couldn’t move. She felt soft, cushy material underneath her and knew she’d been placed on a couch.

“Hey. Hey, can you hear me?” Someone appeared in her field of vision. A tan boy with dark eyes and a long nose and a jaw line to die for.

“I’m going to call an ambulance, okay?” A small noise escaped Reese’s throat as the boy moved away. It was the most she could manage at the moment. He moved back after hesitating a moment. The confusion was evident on his face as Reese’s vision started clearing.

“You don’t want me to call an ambulance?” A minute shake of the head. The boy nodded and stood up. She heard him conversing with another boy.

As they talked, Reese dragged herself off of the couch and fell to the hardwood floor. Her feet still didn’t work but she was regaining use of her arms. Reese raised herself up on her hands and knees and started to crawl towards the door. Someone looped an arm around her waist and picked her up when she was halfway to the door.

“We got your bags. It’s okay. You seriously can’t go back out.” It was a different boy carrying her back to the couch. This one was blonde with an intense stare.

“Danny’s drawing you a bath. You’ll be fine.” Reese sunk back into the couch and closed her eyes. As soon as she did, a hand touched her face, shaking her head slightly.

“Don’t fall asleep,” he ordered. Reese’s eyes snapped open with a witty remark on her tongue but it wouldn’t come out. A voice sounded from somewhere in the house. The boy with blue eyes, Jackson, helped her up from the couch. While her feet didn’t work and her knees were locked, she could manage some sort of walking motion. Jackson helped her up the stairs and into the bathroom. The tan boy, Danny, had just shut off the tap for the bathtub and he stood up.

“Alright, I’ll get her something to eat and you get her in the bath.”

“Dude, no.”

“Dude, yes.” Jackson let go of Reese as she leaned against the wall. She bent down and tried to peel her socks off. They were wet and torn and stuck to her feet.

“Look, she’s getting undressed herself!”

“Hypothermia victims can’t move very well! Just go get some hot chocolate or something.” Jackson left and Reese was relieved. He seemed like an ass, no matter how attractive he was. Danny finished pulling her socks off for her. He proceeded to strip her of her tank top, jeans, and underwear. Shivering, she moved hesitantly towards the bath. Danny helped her balance as she stepped in. It was scalding. It was probably so hot because she was so cold.

Breathing heavily through her nose, she sunk down until the water covered her shoulders. Danny reached into the water and grabbed her arm. He gently inspected the cuts and bruises, ignoring her clattering handcuffs.

“Were you running through the forest?” Reese nodded while her chattering teeth threatened to cut her tongue off. Danny placed her arm by her side again and waited for Jackson. A few minutes later (during which Reese’s fingers turned red, then blue, then white, then pink), Jackson entered the bathroom. He was covering his eyes with one hand and held a steaming mug of something in the other hand. Jackson handed Danny the mug and peeked through his fingers. One quick death glare from Reese sent him running, though she noticed him giving her an appreciative nod.

“I don’t like him,” Reese muttered once the door was closed. Danny laughed at that.

“Not a lot of people do. He’s just visiting for the week.” Reese smiled a little. She definitely liked Danny.

“What’s your name?” In a state of panic, Reese froze. She racked her brain for a name.

“Suzanna.”

“I like that name.” They sat in silence while Reese drained the hot chocolate from her mug. She set it down outside of the tub and experimentally flexed her fingers. A little tingling, a little pain, but nothing bad. She stood up and shivered against the cold air. Danny quickly wrapped her in a fluffy robe, obviously worried about her shivering.

“Calm down, pretty boy,” she said, “I’ll let you know if I’m freezing to death.” The worried look slipped from his face and was replaced by a smile.  He stood up from his perch on the counter and held out his pinkie.

“Promise?” Reese smiled and linked her pinkie with his. She left the bathroom first and headed down the hall that Danny indicated.

Five minutes later, she was seated on Danny’s bed wearing a pair of sweatpants and a sports jersey.

“Seriously though. Lacrosse?” Danny sat at his desk, spinning in his rolling chair. He smiled and nodded. He had a nice smile.

“So what’s all the rage where you’re from?”

“Marching band.”

“And that’s cooler than lacrosse?”

“Definitely.” They both laughed loudly.

As they talked, time slipped away. Reese forgot that she had almost died and that she was a fugitive and had to leave soon. A warmth that had nothing to do with the temperature inside the house filled her from head to toe.

When they were both yawning so much that the conversation couldn’t continue, Reese scooted over on the bed, inviting Danny to sit with her. He was shirtless but neither of them cared as he lay down next to her. They fell asleep facing each other with their pinkies linked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a little while, guys. I was at summer camp. Sorry for that.
> 
> This chapter is really short but it gets better, I promise. Bear with me until then.
> 
> Let me know what you think and how I can improve.


	3. How Stiles Meets Reese

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I haven’t been to school in god knows how long.”
> 
> “Now is a perfect year to start!”
> 
> “I don’t have books or any supplies!” 
> 
> “That can be easily fixed. We’ll tour the school and you’ll get all your books.”
> 
> "Fine."
> 
> “Alright. Be downstairs in twenty minutes."

“Come on! Please come with me!” Reese buried her head farther into Danny’s pillow, hoping to block out his voice. The handcuffs clinked gently on her wrist.

“It’s. Seven. In. The. Morning,” Reese gritted out.

“Besides, I don’t even have clean clothes.” Her clothes had been torn, frozen, bled on, sweated on. It was a damn shame. And she really liked that pair of jeans.

A bundle of fabric hit Reese’s head. The bundle was soft and smelled like detergent. Reese sat up and grappled for her glasses on the nightstand. Once she found them (getting fingerprints on the lenses in the process), she was able to glare at Danny.

“I haven’t been to school in god knows how long,” she said.

“Now is a perfect year to start!” Danny had been pestering her for a half hour.

Reese hadn’t been going to school for a year and a half. It cost money and people were bound to recognize her.

The only benefit of being in Beacon Hills was that the town was just large enough that a criminal being loose would cause mass panic. As a general rule, police avoid causing mass panic so they’d keep quiet until they found her.

“I don’t have books or any supplies!”

“That can be easily fixed. We’ll tour the school and you’ll get all your books.” Reese sighed and hung her head. There was no winning this fight.

She’d stayed at Danny’s house for three days with questions from his parents about if she was going to school. She said she’d think about it but she knew that Danny’s parents, while lovely people, expected her to attend school.

Reese sighed and moved to get out of bed.

“Alright,” Danny said, dark eyes alight with happiness.

“Be downstairs in twenty minutes. Your bags are on the vanity.” Reese stretched her arms up and nodded. Danny exited the room and left her to her business.

As Reese rifled through her black duffle bag, she thought about the past three days.

While Jackson was annoying as all hell, Danny was wonderful. They were well on their way to becoming best friends.

The food wasn’t from a gas station or a McDonald’s. The showers weren’t in some dingy motel that paid by the hour. She didn’t have to con people into giving her money. Anybody who thought life on the road was glamorous was sorely misled.

Reese had been making her way through northern California when she was attacked. She didn’t know what attacked her; she did know that she never wanted to see it again. Reese unconsciously shifted her weight off of her left foot.

What had been a large gash was now partially a scab. Reese shook off the thoughts of the strange town and went back to putting in her contacts. She sank into her normal morning routine. The familiarity was comforting. Not many things in her life were constant so she’d learned to appreciate the things that were.

Reese had already slipped on her tank top and jeans. The long slash along the calf showed her wound and there were many other smaller tears where sharp thorns had dug into her skin.

“I think it looks kind of artistic,” a snide voice said from the doorway. Reese turned away from the mirror and continued digging through her bag.

“Do you always watch girls change?”

“Only the really special ones.” Reese turned to see Jackson leaning in the doorway with a towel around his waist. She raised an eyebrow and turned back to her bag.

“Looking for something?”

“My sweatshirt. I saw it…”

_Oh, I’m such a dumbass._

“It fell off in the forest.” She pulled away from her bag and turned back to Jackson. He was still in the doorway, watching her with a smirk.

Jackson was really attractive and, at any other time, Reese would’ve jumped on the chance to get him into bed. She still might.

_Whoa, girl. Rein it in._

Reese gathered her sleepwear and dumped it into the hamper. She decided to be civil and make conversation.

“I take it you’re not going to school.”  

“Hell no. How long are you sticking around?”

“I’m probably leaving tonight.” While she really liked Danny and enjoyed living in a house, it wouldn’t be long before the cops found her.

“Tonight? Well, I have a couple of ideas of what could happen tonight,” Jackson whispered. His voice was right in her ear and she could feel his body heat. Reese turned around and smiled. Ignoring that little voice saying ‘slow the hell down,’ Reese leaned forwards. Right before their lips connected, she stopped.

“Jackson,” she whispered.

“Hm?”

“If I’m going to spend tonight with anyone, it’ll be my friend. Her name is Self Respect.” Reese raised a hand up and patted him on the cheek before shoving him away. Jackson gave her a once-over and scoffed.

“Your loss,” he murmured and walked out of the room. Reese chuckled at herself and turned to face her next problem. She hadn’t figured out how to get rid of the handcuffs.

Walking around with handcuffs on one hand was practically sending a big neon sign saying “Look, police! Here I am! Arrest me please!” She’d already tried smashing them against a desk, breaking them with a rock, and closing a door on them. Her fingertips grazed the cold metal surface of the cuffs and she noticed that the loose cuff was just big enough to slip onto her wrist.

_Might as well make it a fashion statement._

With the handcuffs safely hidden, Reese turned her thoughts inwards and they wandered towards Jackson.

Reese had the lingering feeling that she was missing out on something. Some big secret. It must have had something to do with the aura of power that radiated off of Jackson. He just felt… different. Reese shook her head, dismissing her silly thoughts.

Someone knocked on the door frame. Danny was standing there with a backpack slung over his shoulder.

“Ready?” Reese nodded tentatively.

One day. Survive for one day and this whole town will be behind you.

“Let’s go!” Reese sighed and followed Danny out the door.

* * *

 

The entire drive over, Reese had sung along obnoxiously to the songs on the radio, mentally preparing herself. Her courage evaporated as soon as they pulled into the parking lot. Danny turned off the car and waited for Reese to get out. She just pressed farther into the seat. Her courage wavered as more people flooded through the parking lot.

“You got this,” Danny said.

 _No. No, I don’t got this._ Reese unbuckled her seatbelt anyways.

As she walked up to the school, her breakfast threatened to show its face again. She hadn’t been this nervous in a long time. Her hands were shaking worse than usual. She shoved them into the pockets of Danny’s lacrosse sweatshirt. Reese took a deep breath and followed Danny into the crowd.

Her shoulders were brushing other people and she got shoved around the crowd of teenagers.

“Now I remember why I hate school,” Reese mumbled. They made it to the counselor’s office after the bell rang. Danny spoke in hushed tones to the counselor while Reese hung back. She watched other kids pass by the office. _It must be nice to be normal._

_“Tina, what’s your biggest dream?” Reese chuckled as she rolled silverware for the next day._

_S_ _he turned to her coworker, a beautiful girl named Ashley. Ashley’s thin hands worked furiously over the silverware as a blush painted her bronze skin. She refused to make eye contact with Reese as she did so._

_“_ _I don’t know,” Reese said. Ashley smiled a little and lifted her head to look at Reese. Her dark eyes were sparkling in the dim lighting of the Applebee’s bar. It was past closing time but they were chosen to prepare for the next day. Ashley answered her own question._

_“My biggest dream is to be happy. With someone I love.” The last part was said quietly with a pointed look at Reese._

_Her heart broke a little for Ashley. I_

_t was Reese’s first kiss and it was short and sweet._

_She left the next day and never saw Ashley again._

If Reese could talk to Ashley again, she knew what she would say.

“I want to be normal,” Reese mumbled.

“What was that, Suzanna?” Reese whirled around, not realizing that she had spoken out loud. Danny was holding a few textbooks and a piece of paper.

“Um, nothing. Just thinking out loud.” Danny nodded and handed her the books. The weight of them seemed to settle in her chest. Reese scrunched her nose up as she read the title of the first one.

“Advanced Calculus?” she asked. She strode out of the office. Once they were at Danny’s locker, Reese allowed her anger to bubble forth.

“Really, Danny?!” she asked. She let the books fall from her arms to the ground where they landed with a crash. Danny started and turned back to face her.

“What’s wrong?”

“Do you know how long it’s been since I was in school? I’ve never gone to high school. Ever!” A feeling of panic overwhelmed her and she found it hard to breathe.

_Oh god, not again…_

Reese couldn’t do this. She was going to be found out and arrested and Danny was going to hate her and she’d be put to the death and she’d never be able to go home.

Ignoring Danny’s questions, she threaded her fingers into her hair, needing something to hold onto. Reese’s legs fell out from under her and she fell to the ground with a thump.

It was all too much. She was so weak for letting this happen again. A clear feeling broke though the panic: hate.

She hated herself and what she did to survive and how weak she was. She hated herself for giving into the panic. Reese’s lungs felt like they were going to burst; she was suffocating.

The hands on her shoulders were just making things worse. Danny wouldn’t take his hands off of her and she didn’t have the breath to tell him so. Reese shrank away from him, curling her knees to her chest.

“What’s wrong with her?”

“I think it’s a panic attack.” Danny’s hands went away but were soon replaced by another pair. This pair firmly gripped her chin and forced her head up. She was looking into the face of a girl about her age.

“Listen. Okay? Are you listening?” Through her gasping breaths, Reese nodded.

“Look at me. Look into my eyes and hold your breath,” she ordered.

 _No, no, I can’t, I’ll die._ Reese shook her head wildly.

“Suzanna,” the girl ordered, grasping her face again, “You need to hold your breath. You can do it.” Reese took swallowed nervously but did as she was told. She stared into the girl’s green eyes and tried her best. The most she could manage was a shallow wheezing.

“Yes, Suzanna, that’s good. That’s really good,” the girl said softly. Her hands moved from Reese’s face to her head. She gently grasped her wrists and drew Reese’s hands out of her hair. To her surprise, Reese’s breathing became more even.

The panic wasn’t gone, it never was. But this time is was better. With a few more minutes of sitting on ground next to the scattered textbooks, Reese felt like she could stand.

She struggled up on her own, denying the help of Danny or the girl, and found that her legs could support her for the time being.

“Do you still wanna go to class?” Danny asked quietly. Reese shook her head. She shakily asked for directions to the nearest music room. The girl pointed down the hall.

“Are you sure you want to be alone?” Their concern should’ve made her feel happy; it just annoyed her.

“Yeah. I’m fine. I promise.”

* * *

 

Stiles was running an errand for the stats teacher when he heard it: a girl’s voice singing in lilting French. _“_

_La lune, trop bleme,_ _pose un diadème sur tes cheveux roux…”_

There weren’t any music classes in the morning. Stiles’ curiosity piqued as he looked inside. The girl didn’t notice him but stared resolutely at her hands that flew across the keys. Her face was eerily familiar. Her eyes flicked up to where Stiles was in the doorway. When he looked her full in the face, it hit him.

His phone was in his hands in a flash and he was dialing his dad’s number. He barely had the time to register that Reese was behind him before he was knocked to the ground. Everything went blurry as he struggled to get away. A large weight settled in the middle of his back and a small hand pinned his wrists in place and the other covered his mouth.

“Keep quiet and I won’t have to hurt you,” Reese mumbled. Stiles’ fight-or-flight response was teetering in the middle. On one hand, Reese was dangerous and he needed to get away. On the other hand, he couldn’t allow her to overpower him.

He finally made the decision to stay silent. Reese drew her hand away from his mouth and sat up with a sigh. Stiles flipped over halfway and shoved her off of him. He scrambled up and tried to run before Reese locked her hand around his ankle. He fell hard, on his back this time. A burst of pain shot up his spine.

“You know, knocking me to the ground is getting kinda repetitive,” Stiles said as Reese pinned him on his back. Up close (and in a hallway instead of a rainy parking lot), he could see very freckle imprinted into her skin and every spike of deep green in her eyes.

“Okay. Don’t tell anyone anything.”

“Or…?” Stiles asked, expecting a threat. Reese just smirked and clambered off of him. She held out her hand and helped him up. Stiles walked away, massaging his back where it had slammed into the ground. He was almost gone when he heard Reese speak.

“You’re gonna have some bruises,” Reese said from behind him.

“Put some ice on it.” With that, Reese turned and walked away quietly. Stiles was beyond confused.

Why would she attack him and then tell him how to take care of himself? Why would she let Isaac go at the police station? Stiles had read her track record; Reese was scary as hell.

He put the thought in the back of his head and turned to another one: he was going to have to tell Scott.

* * *

 

“You feeling better?” Reese smiled and nodded. Playing music was really therapeutic for her. She felt a lot better as she walked to lunch with Danny.

“You were gone the whole morning. I was starting to get worried,” he said as he grabbed a tray. Reese declined a lunch. The lunch didn’t look edible but her appetite hadn’t recovered anyways.

“Come sit with me. You’ll get to officially meet Lydia and her boyfriend, Aiden. You’ll also get to meet my boyfriend, Ethan,” Danny said brightly. Reese nodded and obediently followed. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that boy staring at her.

“Who’s that?” she asked. Danny looked over his shoulder.

“Who?”

“That cute one with the messy hair and puppy dog eyes and the moles.”

“Stiles Stilinski?” Danny chuckled. “You think he’s _cute_?”

Reese glared back at Stiles. She made a move towards him and he flinched, spilling his milk everywhere. With a chuckle, Reese turned back to Danny and strode out of the cafeteria.

A newfound confidence filled her as she walked over to three people sitting on the front steps of the school. One was the girl who helped her during her panic attack and the other two were very attractive twins.

“It seems that this school’s just full of attractive boys,” Reese quipped as she sat down on the cold concrete. The twins laughed as the girl, Lydia, she assumed, asked, “Who else is attractive at this school?” Reese fumbled for the name in her mind.

“Um, it was something weird like… Stanley… Stiiii…” she said, drawing out the ‘I’. Reading people was a habit of hers, one that she was good at. One of them knew him.

“Stiles Stilinski?” Bingo. Lydia knew him.

“Yeah. He’s a cutie,” Reese said absentmindedly as she searched through the bag that Danny had brought.

_Let’s see if this gets a response._

“He was totally flirting with me in the hallway,” she laughed as she pulled out her phone. She saw Lydia biting her apple rather viciously.

_Aiden might be your boyfriend, but Stiles is someone important to you._

“So is this the Ethan that I’ve heard so much about?” Reese asked, changing the subject for Lydia’s sake. Danny nodded, blushing slightly.

“You’ve told her about us? And we haven’t heard even one word about her,” one of the twins said. They looked at her with a predatory look in their eyes. It was almost like they knew her.

Reese filed that information away for later and directed her focus to the conversation. Danny turned to Reese and gestured to her grandly.

“This is Suzanna. She, uh… just moved here,” he explained, faltering slightly. Reese shrugged off of Danny’s sweatshirt and held it out to the twin sitting closest to Danny.

“Here. This might fit you better than it’ll fit me,” she said with a wink. Reese might freak out around crowds but she knew how to fake confidence like she knew the back of her hand.

“Oh my god, what happened to your shirt?” one of the twins asked with a smirk in his eyes. It was tattered and torn, exposing her black tank top underneath. She left her other one in the forest with her sweatshirt and combat boots. This one happened when she was robbed in an alleyway in Phoenix.

“Oh, um… my little sister got at it with some scissors. No big deal,” Reese lied. Lydia nodded and bit into her apple once again.

“Aren’t you kinda cold?” one of the twins asked. Reese shrugged.

“Not really. I’ve felt worse,” she said with a knowing look at Danny.

“That’s not funny, Suzanna,” he said. Reese rolled her eyes and turned back to her phone. She was trying to get in contact with the director of another guard in California. The guy was being difficult but she’d work around it.

“Are you guys coming to the lacrosse game tonight?” Reese rolled her eyes. Lacrosse was really stupid to her.

“Why? Oh, look, the ball’s over there. Look, he threw it. I wonder what’s going to happen next. Yep, he threw it again,” Reese said mockingly. Danny slapped her shoulder playfully.

“Fine. Whatever. I’ll come.” She was only here for one day thankfully. The bell rang, signifying her release from this conversation. She followed Danny inside with one last goodbye to Lydia.

“Um, I can’t really drive you back after school because I have practice so…” Danny began hesitantly. It struck Reese that he was genuinely guilty about not being her chauffeur. She chuckled a little bit at that thought.

“I can hang around for a little while. I have to talk to the sports coach here anyways,” she mumbled to herself, scrolling through her emails. It’d been four days and she hadn’t heard back from the band director about next marching season. If she didn’t make it this year, she’d have nowhere to go.

“Oh, you talk to him this period. He teaches Economics.”

“Yay,” Reese deadpanned. The only thing she hated more than math was blow-off classes that didn’t prove useful. She kept mindlessly scrolling through her emails as Danny tugged her to another classroom.

“Coach, this is Suzanna. She’s new,” Danny said to someone. Reese collided with Danny’s broad back as he stopped suddenly.

“Dude,” she said. She moved past Danny and held her hand out to the teacher. He was an excitable looking man, she’d give him that.

“Coach Bobby Finstock,” he said as he shook her hand.

“Suzanna Smith.”

“So you’re interested in sports?” he asked skeptically, giving her a onceover.

“I was interested in the colorguard program at this school,” she said shortly. Finstock gave a short laugh before realizing that she was completely serious. He clapped a hand on her shoulder.

“Hon, we don’t have one here. It’s a sissy sport anyways. Now, if you wanna do lacrosse, I can do that.” He turned away from her and started walking towards his desk. Reese hesitated before speaking again.

“It’s not a sissy sport. My show last year was seriously scary,” she said. Finstock turned back to her, laughter in his eyes.

“Oh, really? Pull it up. Let’s watch it.” He turned his computer to her. Reese smirked as she typed in the name. The bell had rung and the students were in their seats, some of them whispering to each other in the back. Reese pulled up the video, turned on the projector, and turned to the class.

“Alrighty, if any of you are easily scared by loud noises or depictions of Hell, I’d leave now,” she said solemnly before flicking the lights off. She pressed play and listened to the introduction.

It was almost like she was back in that stadium again, kissing her teammates on the cheek, heart beating erratically in her chest, knowing the big risk they were about to take.

_“Up next is Northmont High School performing their show, Dante’s Inferno. Northmont, you may take the floor in competition.”[1]_

The first thing they saw was the setup of platforms on the floor. The video showed a close-up of several girls in full body suits, made to look like the inside of a human body. The makeup caked on their faces looked like skulls with blood streaming from their eyes.

 _“Some get cold… some get ill…”_ the voiceover said. The girls started moving in grotesque ways. She recognized herself walking in a backbend across the floor.

“You were in _this?”_ Danny whispered. Reese nodded proudly and started moving towards the back of the classroom towards the bundle of four students whispering to each other.

She leaned in close to one of the boys and whispered in time with the voiceover: _“What are you afraid of?”_ The boy jumped and whirled around.

 _“_ _Whatever it is… it’s here.”_ Stiles Stilinski edged away from her until he was pressed up against his friend. She chuckled but didn’t move away.

“Smith! Stop harassing Stilinski! That’s my job!” Reese reluctantly walked back to where Danny was standing shell-shocked in the light of the projector.

 _“Earth is pain, death is pain, beauty is pain…”_ As the flags came out and the rifles started their work, Reese understood why they got fifth place. She cringed at the horrible choreography. The soundtrack continued to get more and more morbid. Loud music with echoing drumbeats was laid over a man’s screams. Suddenly, the music cut off and the girls froze in place.

“This is my favorite part!” Reese squealed to Danny. A heartbeat pulsed over the speakers while a woman whispered, “No, please. Please help me. Don’t hurt me, please…” The video zoomed in on a platform in the center of the floor. It showed one girl being hooked up to a crane structure while the other stood behind her. _“_

_Nowhere to run this time… no escape…” “_

_Nooo…”_

The girl was shoved off of the platform, giving the illusion of being hung. Everyone in the class gasped collectively. The track changed to a heavy metal song with a large man dressed in red picking up girls and throwing them around.

Reese remembered being friends with that boy, Granger. She felt his hands around her waist as he lifted her up and “threw” her onto the ground. The show ended with all the girls collapsed on the floor and the boy dressed as Satan standing tall.

She turned the lights back on, pleased to see the classes horrified faces.

“And you won?” Finstock asked unsteadily. Reese’s eyebrows knit together in confusion. It had announced their placement in the video.

“You went on to compete after this?”

“Oh. No. We got banned for three years. Apparently it’s too ‘inappropriate’ for high schoolers. That’s why I’m looking for another guard.” Finstock took a deep breath and nodded.

“Alright. Swing by practice today and I’ll see what I can do.” Reese smiled gratefully.

“Stilinski! Show Miss Smith where the locker room is after school,” Finstock barked. Reese turned to see Stiles glaring at her. She jauntily walked over to an empty desk next to his, purposely rattling the handcuffs on her wrist.

She leaned over and whispered, “I think we’re going to be great friends.” 

Stiles crinkled his nose adorably and edged away from her.

Reese sighed, sank back in her chair, and let herself doze peacefully for the remainder of class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Look up Dante's Inferno 1997 Winterguard if you want to see the actual show
> 
> It's finally done! Sorry about the hella long wait. Band camp, school starting, work. It's been crazy.
> 
> On the bright side, this chapter is super long so that should hold you guys over for a little while.
> 
> Let me know how I can improve!


	4. How Melissa Took In Another Kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of her favorite songs, Tous Les Memes, blared over the speakers as she pulled out of the parking lot. Hopefully it’d discourage Blue Eyes from talking to her. 
> 
> After a moment, he reached out and turned down the volume. Reese tensed up, waiting for him to start shouting or to start accusing her. 
> 
> “We were never properly introduced,” was all he said. He faced her and held out his hand. “Hi. I’m Isaac Lahey.” Reese held out hers and firmly shook his hand. 
> 
> “I’m Suza-” 
> 
> “You’re not. And we both know it.”

“Okay, I’m starting to understand. But why is Deucalion interested in her?”

“Hell if I know. All I know is that Deaton wants his hands on her too.” Scott and Stiles had been talking in circles for forty five minutes about Reese.

“Not to mention my dad. He’s gunning to get her too.”

“And if Deucalion wants her, Derek will want her too.” Stiles pounded his head onto the table.

“So if Derek wants her, will the Darach want her too?”

“Dude, I don’t know.” They had until after school to figure out how to get Reese out of lacrosse practice; it was 7th period. Questions swirled around in Stiles’ head, mixing together to create odd problems.

_Will the alpha pack react to Reese?_

_Why does Deucalion want her?_

_Who is the Darach?_

_What is Reese?_

“What is Reese?” he asked quietly. That was it! That was the answer. Well, not the answer exactly but something closer to it.

“What is she? What is Reese?” Stiles asked excitedly, springing up from his desk. Scott’s brown eyes widened in alarm.

“What are you talking about?”

“Reese! Everyone wants her: Deucalion, Derek, the Darach, Deaton, my dad, even the alphas want her!” This time, Scott stood up with him. Thank god that they were in the back of the library.

“She must be something special! She must be something like Lydia or maybe even a wolf like you!” Scott’s face fell. It was obvious that there was something wrong with his theory.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“I didn’t smell anything on her. Werewolves have a very distinct scent. Even Lydia has this weird edge to her scent. Reese just smells like a normal girl.” Stiles sunk back into his chair, feeling deflated. Scott sat down with him and started thinking again.

“You know, you might want to check who’s around before you go talking shit.” Stiles’ heart jumped in his chest as the voice sounded right next to his ear. He whirled around to see Reese’s brilliant smile in his face.

“What are you doing?” he asked when he could get a decent breath. Reese held up a couple of books and started walking away.

For the first time since they met, he got a good look at Reese. Her hair, though clean, was cut unevenly where it fell down at her lower back. The shirt she was wearing was slashed as though by a knife. Her Converse were worn and tattered.

She might put up a good front, but Reese was living a poor life. A surge of emotion rolled through Stiles. He felt sorry for her.

“Stiles? You okay?” It occurred to him that he’d been avidly watching Reese talk to the librarian’s assistant.

“Um, yeah, I’m fine,” he mumbled.

He turned his thoughts towards what was going to happen in practice.

* * *

 

Stiles met Scott and Isaac in the locker room. They all shared a look before marching out onto the lacrosse field.

“What’s that music?” Isaac asked. Stiles picked up the faint traces of music as they walked outside. The music was, of course, coming from Reese. She had changed clothes. Despite the cold weather, she was wearing black shorts and a white shirt.

“What did I tell you about wearing warm clothes?” someone shouted form behind them. Danny strode out in front of them to meet Reese. Reese chuckled and said something to him that Stiles couldn’t hear. He started to edge forwards before a whistle blew in his ear, shattering his focus.

“Stilinski!” Coach Finstock barked.

“Get out on the field! You too, Greenberg!” Stiles started doing as he was told before he heard Coach talking to Scott.

“You get them started on drills; I need to talk to this Suzanna girl.” It took Stiles a second to remember that Suzanna was actually Reese.

“Suzanna! Front and center!” Reese came jogging over and skid to a stop in front of Stiles. A piece of her equipment hit him sharply in the shin.

“Oops,” she said jauntily.

“Jesus, Susie, what happened to you?” Coach asked, reaching out a hand. Her brows knit together in confusion. She caught sight of her arms and a look of realization crossed her face. Her arms and legs had splotches of yellow and purple scattered across them.

“Oh, these,” she said. She held up the piece of equipment she’d been using. It was a thin sword with a large handle.

“Sabre gives you some nasty bruises. I’ve been working on my fives,” she said nonchalantly. Seeing everyone’s looks of confusion, she sighed and stated, “It’s a type of toss. I don’t always catch it and it hits me a lot.” Coach’s stern look had transformed into one of apprehension. Stiles wandered away to start practice.

For about an hour and a half, Coach just talked to Reese. At the end of practice he called everyone to the stands.

“Alright. If you want this recommendation, you gotta show me something special,” he ordered. Reese nodded and jogged back to a long, red bag with poles sticking out of it.

“Did she have that the night she was arrested?” Stiles asked Scott. Scott shook his head in confusion. She walked back over with the bag on her shoulder and a large speaker in one hand.

“In front of everyone?” she asked, eyes flicking to the crowd in the bleachers. She didn’t ask it nervously; it was more like she was asking for confirmation.

“There’s only thirty people,” Coach laughed. “You getting stage fright?” The rest of the team echoed his chuckle. A smirk lit up Reese’s face.

“No, coach. It’s just so small compared to the Alamodome.” This time the team’s laugh was directed at Coach.

“Just start, missy.”

Reese pulled off a number of amazing tosses on her sabre. Some soared in the sky, some spun flat, some she caught with one hand. She even caught one under her leg. Once she was done with her demonstration, she wiped her brow and shook out her hands. She started to pack up before Coach stopped her.

“I think I need to see the, uh... other stuff,” he said. Reese smiled knowingly and nodded.

She pulled out a flag and started spinning it around her body. After a series of flourishes, she tossed high above her head, catching it so solidly that Stiles heard her hands smack the metal. This drew a cheer from the crowd. The smile on Reese’s face grew more dazzling.

Stiles cast a look over at his friends. Danny was smiling gleefully; Scott was nodding appreciatively.

But Isaac? Isaac looked like he had discovered the most amazing thing in the universe. Like someone had found the sun a second time.

Then Isaac saw Stiles looking at him and the expression vanished. _Hm, that’s weird._

Reese set down her flag and picked up a gun.

“This is a rifle,” she explained, “It’s made out of wood or sometimes metal or plastic.” She spun it in her hand twice and tossed it up high. The catch made the crowd explode into cheers.

She tossed it in the air again and again. It stayed up for so long that it seemed to be made of air itself. She tossed it one last time and Stiles counted seven rotations before it landed in her hands. Though the crowd cheered, Reese grimaced and hissed in pain. She shook out her right hand and stuck her thumb in her mouth.

“You alright, Suzanna?” Danny asked. Reese smiled at him in return.

“Yeah. I’m fine. I just burst a blood vessel. It’s pretty painful actually,” she commented. Danny smiled and hugged her. She hesitated before hugging back. Reese let go of Danny and sauntered over to Coach.

“Well? Do I get that recommendation?” Coach gave her another once-over. He nodded his head. Reese squealed and jumped up and down like a child.

“Thank you so much! Thank you so, so much!” Stiles was surprised that she didn’t hug him too. Scott suddenly shifted beside him. He was off of the steel bench before Stiles could stop him. Scott seized Reese by her bicep, interrupting her conversation with Danny.

“Hey!”

“I need to talk to you.” A feeling of panic and embarrassment surged up within Stiles; it was a feeling he was becoming used to. With a hurried apology to Danny, Stiles sped over to where Scott was with Reese, catching the last part of their conversation.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“What are you? You must be something special.”

“I’m a human being. Like you!” Her eyes flashed angrily. For a moment they seemed almost black. At that moment, Stiles wasn’t so sure that she was telling the truth.

“Scott?” Melissa’s voice made his head snap up. Scott shoved Reese away from him and put on a face of innocence.

“Hey, mom!” Melissa smiled and gave him a hug.

“You were amazing out there,” she told Reese. Reese smiled softly and looked down at her feet.

“I’m serious, honey. Why don’t we celebrate with some dinner?” Melissa asked.

“Mom!” Reese’s head snapped up. She looked shocked at being offered dinner. Her eyes were shiny, like she was about to cry. She gently nodded. Melissa’s amused expression softened as she studied Reese.

“Okay. In the car, you can tell me all about yourself, starting with your name.” Melissa reached out to put an arm around Reese. Something changed. Maybe it was the way Reese’s eyes widened slightly or how the grip on her flag tightened. Whatever it was, Melissa drew back and offered a kindly smile.

“You’re welcome to join us too, Stiles,” Melissa added.

“I, um... have to put my equipment away,” Reese mumbled, eyes fixed on her shoes.

“Okay, sweetie. I’ll be in the parking lot.” Reese jogged away and started packing up her things. Melissa started towards the car, Scott trailing morosely behind her. Stiles sighed and marched after.

“After dinner,” he mumbled to himself, “After dinner, I’ll turn her in.”

Reese met up with them in the parking lot, bundled up in a sweatshirt. This one was a shade of maroon but it was void of lettering.

“This kid says he’s with you,” she said good-naturedly, pointing behind her. Isaac was a few steps behind her.

“So, we’re all eating at your house?” Reese asked. Melissa nodded cheerfully.

“I can drive myself, if it’s needed.” Melissa shook her head, admonishing her at once.

“We have enough room in my car. We’ll just have to squeeze.” Reese chuckled and pointed at a car a few spots down.

“I _have_ to drive; it’s a rental.”

“Well, you can drive Isaac and I’ll drive my two munchkins over here,” Melissa said. Reese paled slightly but nodded anyways.

“Just follow me and we’ll be there in no time.”

* * *

Reese got into the car with shaking hands and immediately turned on the radio.

 _“Vous les hommes êtes tous les mêmes: macho mais cheap, bande de mauviettes infidèles. Si prévisibles...”_   _[1]_

One of her favorite songs, Tous Les Memes, blared over the speakers as she pulled out of the parking lot. Hopefully it’d discourage Blue Eyes from talking to her.

After a moment, he reached out and turned down the volume. Reese tensed up, waiting for him to start shouting or to start accusing her.

“We were never properly introduced,” was all he said. He faced her and held out his hand. “Hi. I’m Isaac Lahey.” Reese held out hers and firmly shook his hand.

“I’m Suza-”

“You’re not. And we both know it.” Reese yanked her hand away from his. Rule one, stand your ground and deny everything.

“My name is Suzanna Smith. It’s nice to meet you, Isaac.” She cranked up the music again, cutting off all conversation.

_“Rendez-vous, rendez-vous, rendez-vous au prochain règlement. Rendez-vous, rendez-vous, rendez-vous sûrement aux prochaines règles...” [2]_

Isaac reached out and turned down the volume again. Reese’s muscles braced themselves for an attack.

“I’m not going to tell Melissa about you. I hope you know that,” he mumbled. She listened more intently at that.

“I can’t promise that Scott and Stiles won’t tell her. But I won’t turn you in.” Reese took her eyes off of the road for a second to get a good look at Isaac. The setting sun illuminated his eyes, showing her that he was sincere. Her breath rattled in her lungs as she nodded.

It didn’t mean she wasn’t scared, it didn’t mean that she trusted him.

It meant that a truce, a small one but a truce nonetheless, had been made.

* * *

The house was nice. Not as nice as Danny’s, but still nice. The floorboards creaked under her feet and the couch looked like it belonged in the 80s but it made Reese feel at home.

“So do you live here?” Reese asked. Isaac nodded.

“My al... friend kicked me out of his apartment,” he responded.

“I can sympathize with that,” Reese mumbled as she walked to the dining room.

_“You’re a criminal?!”_

_“I’m really sorry! I didn’t want you to find out like this!” Dana stood on the other side of the room as if trying to get as far away from her as possible. A wanted poster was clutched tight in her fist._

_“Were you even going to tell me?” “_

_I swear I was!”_

_Tears glittered in Dana’s sky blue eyes. Reese foolishly took a step to try and calm her down. Dana reached out for the first thing she could reach and threw it at her. The hardcover book slammed into Reese’s shoulder. “_

_Get out of here or I’m calling the police!” Dana screamed._

_Reese turned and ran outside and down the street until her lungs burned and her calves ached. She returned the next day, collected her things, and left._

__

“Suzanna?” someone called, gently shaking her shoulder. Reese looked into Isaac’s face.

“Um, yeah. Let’s go eat,” Reese said quickly. She let Isaac lead her into the kitchen.

Everything was nice orderly. Reese felt so out of place. It was almost as if every step she took left a dirty footprint. Everyone was already sitting at the table and Reese hesitantly took a seat, letting her backpack drop to the floor beside her.

“So, sweetie, I’m Melissa. What’s your name?” “I’m Suzanna Smith.” Melissa loaded Reese’s plate with lasagna and salad. The boys, Stiles and Isaac (and some other kid), all remained silent while Melissa asked Reese about her life.

Reese didn’t offer up much but Melissa was genuinely interested. Even while Reese recounted a boring story about the nickname she and her friends gave their 6th grade history teacher, Melissa remained engaged.

“How long are you planning to stay in Beacon Hills?” she asked at one point. Reese almost choked on a crouton.

“Um, I was actually planning to leave tonight,” she mumbled. Melissa’s brown eyes grew wide with sadness while Stiles breathed a silent sigh of relief. Isaac’s expression was a strange mixture of apprehension and relief.

“Where are you heading?” Reese shrugged quietly, looking down at her plate.

“I’ve been a drifter for a couple of years, I guess. I don’t really stay in one place for too long.” A hand reached out and gripped hers tightly.

“My door is always open, honey. Where are you staying now?”

“With a kid named Danny Maha-something-or-other.”

“That’s ridiculous! We have enough room here!” The reactions across the table were very mixed. Isaac shrunk back into his chair; Stiles almost spat out his water; the other guy yelled

“Mom!”

“Oh, boys, stop it!” Melissa reprimanded.

“Really, it’s fine. There’s a motel just down the highway.”

“No. Absolutely not. You’re staying here and that’s final.” Melissa gathered everyone’s plates and dumped them in the sink.

“You can room with Isaac. Is that alright?” she asked, suddenly aware of her forwardness. A little ball of warmth sparked inside of Reese’s chest. She nodded.

“Let’s get your things out of your car.” Reese followed Melissa out of the house, not having the heart to tell her that she could carry her things herself.

They returned with one backpack and one duffle bag each. She directed Reese to her (and Isaac’s) room.

“There’s only one bed. Now, I’m trusting you two,” Melissa said as she started folding and putting away Reese’s clothes. Reese lunged forwards and stilled Melissa’s hands. They looked at each other for a moment before Melissa smiled.

“I forgot. You’re leaving tomorrow.”

“Actually, no. I think I’ll stay for another week or two.”

The smile that lit Melissa’s face could’ve lit up New York City.

* * *

It was 10:30 when Isaac entered the room. He looked like a startled cat with its hackles raised.

“I really love what you’ve done with the place. I especially love all of the personal artifacts and photos of family and friends,” Reese said dryly. She gestured to the blank walls and empty bookcase. When Isaac said nothing, she continued.

“Don’t worry, I have enough posters for the both of us.” He changed facing the corner and flopped onto the queen sized bed. Reese quickly shimmied into a pair of sweatpants, turned off the light, and jumped onto the bed.

“Ow!”

“Oh no. Did I do that?” Reese claimed the side against the wall and fell asleep almost instantly.

Throughout the course of the night, she remembered rolling over onto Isaac twice and accidentally shoving her knees into his back.

“Stop that! Get your knees out of- just stop- okay! Jesus, FINE. I’ll just sleep in the chair.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] That's a real song by Stromae. This translates to: "You men are all the same: macho but cheap, a band of wimpy unfaithfuls. So predictable."
> 
> [2] Also from Tous Les Memes: "Meeting, meeting, meeting at the next settlement. Go, go, go surely at the next period." It sounds better in French.
> 
> This chapter's been ready for like two weeks but I keep forgetting to post it. 
> 
> I haven't forgotten about the story, I promise! This chapter's super short but I knew that I needed to get something done or it would never get done. I just don't have that much time for writing anymore. 
> 
> Chapter five's gonna be hell. Just bear with me.
> 
> ~Warrior


	5. How Reese Got Another Friend

_Thump, thump. Creeeaakkk..._

Reese’s eyes were open after the first thump. Every nerve in her skin was buzzing with adrenaline.

She’d been jumped on the streets too many times, too many times that it had become expected. Thoughts buzzed through her head at a million miles per hour. They ranged from what she’d use to defend herself to the fact that no one was in the house.

“Isaac.”

A harsh whisper broke through the flurry in Reese’s mind. Reese flung the blanket off of her body and prepared to fight. Reese could barely make out the shadow of a girl. A girl holding a knife.

“You’re not Isaac,” she said, puzzlement in clear in her voice.

“Glad you noticed. Who are you?” The girl walked over to the wall and groped for the light switch. She flicked them on in a quick second and the two took a moment to observe each other.

The other girl was dressed in all black with her dark hair floating around her face. She looked lovely and pale in the harsh lighting. Next to her, Reese felt so... _frumpy_ in one of Isaac’s wrinkled t-shirts and a pair of Slytherin pajama shorts.

“My name is Allison. I’m gonna take a guess and say that you’re Suzanna.” The steely look from Allison’s eyes disappeared and a warm smile appeared on her face. She walked over and held out her hand. Reese solemnly shook hers. It was cold.

“You’re sneaking in through Isaac’s window because...?” Reese asked, getting to the point. Allison nodded slowly and stashed her knife in her boot.

“I just needed to talk to him.”

“About what?”

“Just some stuff with my parents.” Reese nodded and moved to get out of bed. She could definitely sympathize with parental issues.

“You can talk to me,” Reese said simply. Allison looked surprised, startled almost, at the prospect of conversing with her.

“And I know a really good place we can do it.” Reese reached out and put on Isaac’s lacrosse sweatshirt and a pair of boots. She motioned for Allison to follow her.

Thankfully, everyone was gone or else Reese would’ve been in trouble. She’d already messed up every relationship she’d had; she didn’t need to ruin her fragile life with the McCalls.

Reese led Allison into the backyard and turned to face the house. There was a lattice of vines winding their way up the side of the house. Reese started forwards. She tugged on the vines to make sure that they could hold her weight and started climbing.

“Whoa, that is not safe!” Reese looked back at Allison with a grin playing around her lips.

“I know.” Reese kept going until she could stand on the awning of the porch. Reese could barely see Allison’s outline climbing up the vines. Once Allison was almost up, Reese started on the next part.

She stood on the windowsill of Scott’s window and jumped up. Her fingers latched onto the edge of the slanted roof painfully. Her legs motored frantically, trying for purchase on the slanted roof.

A pair of cold hands grabbed her feet and pushed upwards. She was jolted upwards and barely managed to swing her leg over the other side. Bracing her knees onto the peak of the roof, Reese reached down to help Allison get up. After lots of scraping and muttered curses, Allison sat beside Reese on the roof.

“You really come up here?”

“Sometimes. Yeah.”

It had been about a week since Reese had moved in with the McCalls and she hadn’t seen a single cop in the area. In that time, she’d found lots of hiding places. However, she always avoided the woods. After the incident on her first night in Beacon Hills, she didn’t want to venture into them.

Reese looked over at Allison’s outline. Her head was turned towards the dark sky with a hand underneath her chin. In that moment, Reese saw someone very different.

_“We could get in a lot of trouble for this.”_

_“_ _Who cares?”_

_Jason and Reese sat high above the ground, on top of one of the school buildings in the middle of the night. They’d figured out that one of the doors (that ‘led to nowhere important’ their teachers would say) actually led to the roof._

_“Why couldn’t we just go to Whataburger or one of our houses like usual? I’m really tired.”_

_“_ _Being on drumline is just so hard,” Reese teased. Jason laughed and scooted closer to Reese._

_“_ _Who told you to bring you a jacket?” she asked as she wrapped an arm around Jason’s broad shoulders._

_“You did.”_

_“_ _And who was right?”_

_“You are.” They stayed like that for a while with their legs dangling over the edge of the building into empty space._

_Reese looked across the street at the Valero and the Taco Bell and the Las Palapas. She looked down in the empty parking lot below with an occasional car passing by. She looked across the campus to the football field. She looked at Jason and felt a stab of pain deep in her chest._

_“Jason...” she began._

_“I did a bad thing. And I have to go.” Jason pulled back slightly._

_“What happened? If it’s anything like my car thing-”_

_“_ _No. It’s worse and I can’t tell you what it is but you just need to trust me.” Reese started panicking. She moved away from the edge of the building, suddenly scared that she was going to fall off._

_“Reese... Reese look at me.” Jason grabbed her face and held her still while she worked through her panic attack._

_“Can we go one last place before you go?”_

“Suzanna? You okay?” Reese realized that she’d been daydreaming.

“Yeah. No, I’m fine.”

“You looked like you were upset about something.” Reese bit the inside of her cheek. She didn’t know if she could trust Allison but she also needed to get everything out. Otherwise she’d burst.

“Whatever I say cannot leave this roof. Alright?” Reese held out her pinky. Allison hesitated with a small smile that said ‘I don’t know if you’re joking or not.’

“Just pinky promise, okay? This is ironclad because we’re grown-ass teenagers that can drive and have jobs.” Allison giggled at that and linked her pinky with Reese’s. She tried sorting through her flurry of emotions before speaking.

“So when I was about nine, I met this kid named Jason. When my family moved to Texas, his family moved with us. We grew really close, blah, blah, blah. Skip forwards six years. Now I need to give you some background. Our school had this three-story tall building called the 8000 building. We found out that one of the doors led to the roof and we’d go up there all the time and talk and vent.” Reese recounted her memory in great detail. Allison listened with a sobering attitude the whole time.

“He wanted to go to the local stadium. When we got there, it was around one in the morning. We were both in marching band so we knew where the power box was for the lights.”

“You turned on the lights in a stadium at one in the morning?”

“Yes, Allison, I’m completely stupid. We turned them onto their lowest setting. It was cold as hell but we took off our shoes and walked around the track for a little while. Then we walked onto the football field and performed a two-man marching show.”

That was the second best part of the night in Reese’s opinion. Jason didn’t have his drums so he made ‘chakachakachaka’ noises and Reese sang the musical part.

“After that, we just kinda collapsed in the middle of the field. After a little while, Jason ran off and took this.”

Reese had pulled her phone out and showed Allison a picture of a dim stadium with one person laying in the middle of a bright yellow insignia painted on the field. She then showed Allison all of the selfies they took.

“We talked about anything and everything. Then the sun started to rise. And we ran up the bleachers to take this one.” The shot was of the the field and the other side of the stadium with lights on either side and a beautiful sunrise behind it.

“He left to go to school and I left permanently,” Reese said solemnly. "The funny thing is he screwed up too. He crashed his Tahoe into the side of a little Prius. The Tahoe came out without a scratch," she chuckled. It pained her to remember that she'd never ride in that Tahoe again.

Allison reached out and gently touched Reese’s shoulder. She tensed up and moved slightly away. Her boots were slowly losing traction on the ledge they were standing on but she wasn’t going to move. Not yet.

“So what’s your traumatic backstory?” Allison hesitated before speaking.

“I moved here about a year ago. My aunt died. Murdered. My mom, she uh...” Allison swallowed. “She committed suicide.”

Reese had never been a bleeding heart but at that moment she wanted to reach out and let Allison know that she wasn’t alone. That Reese herself came form a long line of shitty mothers. Instead, she just said, “That sucks. I’m sorry.” Allison’s outline turned to her. A small chuckle sounded through the night, somehow louder in Reese’s ears.

“Comforting people isn’t really your strong suit, huh?” The tension in her body melted away with Allison’s laugh.

“It sucks but I can definitely sympathize with you. My mom was... well... she was never there. She just never really cared.”

“That must’ve been nice.” Reese chuckled and looked down into the darkness.

“That’s what everyone says.” Allison’s pity was palpable. It was impossible to see her face in the dark night but Reese knew what her expression would be. She got the same look from everyone.

“Come on, let’s go down.”

* * *

In the light they looked so different to each other.

To Reese, Allison looked less intimidating, less ethereal.

Allison had seen Suzanna as empty. When she had woken up, she looked like she was staring down a tidal wave that would surely drown her. Now she looked less foreboding. More homely.

They stood in the kitchen awkwardly, Allison in her battle gear, Reese in her pajamas.

“Melissa’s going to be home soon and I don’t think she’d like having a strange girl with a knife in her kitchen.” Allison laughed. The noise was like tinkling bells.

“We can talk about your parents next time,” Reese said as they walked to the door. Allison was surprised that she hadn’t forgotten.

“I’ll see you at school?” she asked as she once again stepped out into the night. No response. She turned around and Reese was suddenly hugging her. It was a little awkward since she had to stand on her toes to properly wrap her arms around Allison.

“I’ll see you later.”

They finally parted and Allison walked back to her car with her arms tingling where Reese had touched her.

* * *

Isaac had returned to the house with Scott late that night. Reese was still in bed (thank god) and didn’t wake when he lay down next to her. He knew that in the morning the scars would be gone and she would be none the wiser.

When Isaac woke up, not only were the scars gone, but so was Reese herself. _Good, she left._

He smothered the sadness in the pit of his stomach and rolled out of bed. He trudged downstairs wondering how he was going to tell Melissa. She thought that Reese hung the moon. The sound of voices broke him out of his thoughts.

“He did _not!”_

“He so did!” Two separate sets of laughter sounded from the kitchen. One was Reese’s very distinct cackle. Upon investigation, he found Allison sitting on the counter while Reese made pancakes.

“Morning, Sleeping Beauty,” Reese said, plating a pancake.

“What are you two talking about?” Allison and Reese looked at each other and laughed again.

“What?”

“Nothing, Blue Eyes. Just shut up and eat your breakfast.” The pancake was deliciously golden-brown with sugar sprinkled all over it. He grabbed his fork, stomach growling, but hesitant to dive in. Despite sleeping next to Reese for almost two weeks, he still expected her to turn around and kill him.

“Come on, Isaac, it’s not going to bite,” Allison teased as she slathered her pancake with peanut butter and jelly. Reese was furiously whipping more batter next to the stove.

“Let me make mine and then we can head out.” _Head out?_ It occurred to Isaac that both girls were dressed for school even though they didn’t have to leave for another hour.

“I usually drive you,” he said. Reese nodded sarcastically as she poured the batter into the pan.

“I know but I need to write an essay for French.”

“And I’m fluent in French,” Allison said around her pancake.

“And I wanted to show her some guard stuff.” Isaac was taken back by their synchronization. All he could stammer out was, “I, uh... didn’t know you spoke French.”

[1] _“Ma famille est francaise. Le francais est ma langue maternelle.”_ Isaac just stared blankly at her. Reese soon chimed in with a sentence of her own.

“Ma famille est ecossaise.” Allison smiled and took another bite of pancake as Reese flipped hers.

“When’s your birthday?”

_“Mon anniversaire est le cinq, aout, mille neuf cent quatre-vingt-seize.”_

“What’s today’s date?”

_“Aujourd'hui, c’est le quatorze, novembre, deux mille quatorze.”_

“I think you’ll do just fine on that essay,” Allison said with a twinkle in her dark eyes. Reese smiled back and flipped her pancake onto a paper towel. She grabbed a bag of chocolate chips from the freezer, placed some on her pancake, and rolled it up like a burrito.

“Okay, we gotta go,” Reese said. She moved to grab her backpack from the table.

“Is that my coat? And my scarf?” She played with the fringe on the scarf innocently.

“Why, Isaac... I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she smirked. She started marching out of the door, long hair streaming behind her.

 _“Adieu, joli garcon!”_ she said as she walked outside. Allison laughed boisterously and followed her.

“What did she say?” Allison just laughed some more.

“No, seriously! What’d she say?” The door slammed behind them. Isaac stared at it in confusion until Scott came down, bleary-eyed and tired.

“Did Reese just leave?” He nodded. Scott, not noticing anything different, moved farther into the kitchen.

“Hey, she left pancakes! Want some?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Their conversation goes like this:
> 
> My family is French. French is my mother tongue.
> 
> My family is Scottish.
> 
> When's your birthday?
> 
> My birthday is the fifth of August, 1996.
> 
> What's today's date?
> 
> Today, it's the fourteenth of November, 2014.
> 
> I've been aiming for and update every two weeks. It's more like once a month.
> 
> Sorry about the huge waits. School is just so overwhelming and I still have to figure out where this story is going.
> 
> This chapter isn't very good but I'm working on it. Hopefully.
> 
> Let me know how I can improve!
> 
> ~Warrior


	6. How Reese and Stiles Bonded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He walked on the edge of the forest underneath the tall trees with barren branches. Something small hit the top of his head. An acorn. 
> 
> “What the...?” He looked up and saw Reese lounging in one of the trees. She looked down from her lofty height and smiled. 
> 
> “What are you doing?” 
> 
> “Chilling.”
> 
> “Shouldn’t you be in class?” 
> 
> “Shouldn’t you?”

_The Huns were led by Chinggis Khan who was a fair and tolerant ruler..._

Stiles’ head fell to the desk. He didn’t want to read about the Huns; he wanted to take a nap.

“May I go to the bathroom?” he wearily asked the teacher. The teacher nodded, barely glancing at him. Instead of going to the bathroom, he headed outside.

It was a cloudy, dreary day which didn’t improve his mood. He started strolling around the school. The wind cut right through his thin jacket and made him shiver. He walked on the edge of the forest underneath the tall trees with barren branches when something small hit the top of his head. An acorn.

“What the...?” He looked up and saw Reese lounging in one of the trees. She looked down from her lofty height and smiled.

“What are you doing?”

“Chilling.”

“Shouldn’t you be in class?”

“Shouldn’t you?” _Walked right into that one_.

Reese started climbing down the tree. Her combat boots slipped a couple of times. Stiles’ heart jumped in his chest every time they did. Soon she was standing on a branch just a foot above Stiles’ head.

The wind blew her matte blonde hair behind her regally and tore at her clothes. She’d worn a black long sleeve shirt with a white tank top and a pair of dark jeans. She looked like an angel with her face free of makeup and a slight smile gracing her features.

“Wanna come up?” She knelt down and held her hand out. A whirlwind of emotions buzzed in Stiles’ whole body. He blocked out the negative feelings of apprehension and fear and grabbed her hand. With surprising strength, she helped him get up on that branch.

“You probably don’t want to go as high as I was,” Reese said with a grin. Stiles wondered if he should be offended by that. Something inside him told him that it was Reese’s nature to be blunt.

“Come on, dude,” she said. Stiles quickly scrambled up the next few branches. They were only about ten feet off the ground but Stiles was already getting dizzy.

“You okay, Stiles?” He looked up at her. One of her legs was up on the next branch and one of her arms was hooked around another one, letting her lean back towards him.

“I just don’t really like heights.”

“We can stop here.” Two branches extended out of the trunk of the tree and curved slightly towards each other. Reese hopped up on one and motioned for Stiles to do the same. The branch wiggled underneath him causing him to clutch at the trunk for dear life.

“Seriously, are you okay?” A warm hand touched his knee. Stiles swallowed hard and nodded.

“Why are you in a tree?” he asked her. She leaned against the trunk and shrugged with one shoulder, looking at her lap.

“Just for funsies?” Reese chuckled and nodded. She quickly grew solemn again.

“Now it’s my turn to ask if you’re okay.” Stiles had never seen Reese like this. Normally she was the one who was poking and prodding and asking questions. Silence fell between them. It lasted long enough with Reese’s eyes downcast that Stiles had begun to wonder if she’d fallen asleep.

“Why are you afraid of heights?” she asked suddenly.

“What?”

“Heights. Why do they scare you?” He’d never really thought about it before. Reese’s green eyes were trained steadily on him, waiting for an answer.

“Well, one mistake and you’re dead. If your foot slipped a little to the left or right, you’d just be a smear on the ground.”

“One mistake?” Stiles nodded. Reese raised an eyebrow.

“Everything depends on being done perfectly. If a driver makes a mistake and doesn’t use his turn signal, the person behind him could die. Yet you’re not afraid of your Jeep. If someone makes a mistake and doesn’t use a condom, they could die of an STD. But you’re not afraid of girls. If, hell, if I make a mistake and don’t catch my rifle, I could accidentally bash my own head in. Colorguard is still one of the best things in my life.” Stiles looked at Reese.

“I just don’t see the point in being afraid of something. Bad things happen to us all; there’s no escaping that. Why would you be afraid of something that’s unavoidable?”

“But that’s the point,” Stiles said, surprising himself.

“It’s unavoidable. You can’t stop a train if it’s coming down the tracks. You can’t stop a hurricane. You can’t stop cancer. That’s why it’s so scary. It’s unavoidable.” Reese gazed into Stiles’ eyes for a while. He refused to back down and met her eyes evenly. Finally, the corners of her lips twitched up. She slumped back against the tree again.

“That was a nice philosophical talk,” she said with a sideways look at Stiles.

“What class do you have right now?”

“World History. You?”

“AP Calc. What are you studying?”

“Chinggis Khan. It’s stupid.” Reese leaned forwards, a spark alight in her eyes. She started talking about Khan and how he was one of the greatest leaders in the history of the world. Stiles felt bad about tuning it out. He took that time to look at her. Really look at her.

Her hair fell around her shoulders in waves, not unlike Lydia’s. But while Lydia’s hair was a constant shade of beautiful strawberry blonde, Reese’s hair changed colors. In the light filtering through the clouds, it changed from a dark bronze to a shining gold and back again.

Her eyes though, those stayed the same. They weren’t as light as Lydia’s; they were darker. It was those eyes that made Stiles feel like she could see right through him. Like he was made of glass.

“Stiles? You listening?” His heart skipped a beat in his chest as she stared at him.

“Um, yeah, no, I’m fine.” Smooth, Stilinski. Reese smiled and looked towards the horizon. The clouds there were darker and more ominous.

“We should go back inside. I don’t want to end up like a piece of charcoal.” She started shimmying down the tree, leaving Stiles to find his own way. She leapt from branch to branch without fear or apprehension; he clutched at the trunk with the pads of his fingers.

“You can do it, Stilinski. Just hop down.” It was the branch that he’d stood on while climbing up.

“I’m gonna hurt myself.”

“Well, no shit,” she said with her hands on her hips.

“If nothing hurts, how will you ever learn?” Stiles leaned forwards but his dizziness got the best of him and leaned back against the trunk.

“Want me to catch you?” she teased.

“Shut up!” he snapped. Reese’s laugh sounded from below. Somehow that gave him the courage to jump down. He saw the floor come at him in a rush of color. He landed feet first with a flare of pain in his ankle and stumbled forwards. Reese was right there, putting her arms underneath his and hauling him up.

“You idiot, you’re supposed to bend your knees,” she laughed.

“Lucky for me that you were there,” he snarked. He took a few steps forwards finding that the pain in his ankle dissipated within those steps.

They started walking back to the school with the only sounds being the wind and the crunch of dead leaves beneath their shoes.

“So... you coming to the lacrosse game tonight?”

“You want me to go?” Stiles looked down at Reese.

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I?”

“I thought you’d invite Lydia. Aren’t you crazy about her?”

“Who told you that?”

“I have eyes, Stilinski.” Stiles thought for a moment.

“Well, she always goes. And you’re new. It’ll be a chance for you to make friends.” Reese nodded slowly.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll go.” They’d finally reached the doors of the school.

“See you later, Stilinski,” she said. With those words, she strode into the school, leaving him alone in front of the doors.

 _What did I just get myself into?_ a part of him whispered.

 _Something amazing,_ another part said.

_Something wonderful._

* * *

Reese was prepared to stay at school until the game started. She was walking past the parking lot when someone honked at her. She fought down the instinct to holler at whoever it was and forced herself to look. Allison sat behind the wheel with Lydia in the passenger seat. They both waved at her energetically and motioned for her to get inside. She hesitantly approached the car.

“You gonna get in? We’re getting ready at Allison’s house,” Lydia said. A smile reached across Reese’s face.

“Only if I get shotgun.” Lydia rolled her eyes and climbed into the backseat.

“What kind of music do you have?” Reese asked, reaching for Allison’s phone.

“Ooh, Beyonce!” she exclaimed. Lydia leaned forwards in between their seats.

“I didn’t really peg you for a Beyonce kind of girl.” Reese had always loved Beyonce. She never knew why; maybe it was the fact that Beyonce was an all around great person.

“She’s a feminist so that’s a big plus,”she muttered absentmindedly as she clicked the song she wanted to listen to.

 _“Oh, killing me softly, and I’m still falling...”_  She cranked it up and started singing along, ignoring the looks that the other girls gave her. Music was pretty much the only thing that let Reese lose herself, where her anxiety and depression didn’t exist.

Allison’s house was grand, in Reese’s opinion. Her father was a rugged man who barely looked at Reese when she entered.

“We’re going to get ready for the game,” Allison called as she ran upstairs. Allison had one cold hand locked around Reese’s wrist and Lydia’s hands were pushing at her hips, nudging her forwards.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Argent!” Reese called out as Allison’s bedroom door closed.

“Look through the closet, pick out anything you want,” Allison said as she dug through her vanity drawers. A little ball of apprehension appeared in Reese’s chest but she looked anyways.

Floral dresses, cute off-the-shoulder tops, skinny jeans. Reese sighed and looked down at herself. Her bust was big, far too big for any of Allison’s clothes. Not to mention her thighs. _I look so gross._

“Um... none of your stuff is gonna fit me,” Reese mumbled, turning away from the clothes. She tried to blink away the tears forming in her eyes. _You’ve always been conscious of your body; don’t cry._

“How about this?” Lydia was holding a large gray shirt. It was long sleeved with the Hogwarts crest on it.

“I don’t know...” Lydia lunged forwards and practically ripped Reese’s shirt off of her. She stood shivering in her black bra before the Hogwarts shirt was thrown at her. She reluctantly pulled it over her head, noting the way the neck caught around her ears and how unbelievably tight the sleeves were. Lydia’s face was one of a strange mix of embarrassment and I-want-to-cringe-so-bad-right-now.

Reese huffed, ready to tear the shirt over her head, but then spotted a pair of scissors. The metal felt cold in her hand but she knew what to do. With a few quick snips, the left sleeve fell away at the elbow.

“Reese!” Allison said. She ignored her friend and moved onto the other one.

“I can’t cut the neckline by myself,” she mumbled. Lydia swiftly grabbed the scissors and started snipping away. Reese knew that she was destroying one of Allison’s shirts but she couldn’t bring herself to care. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck raise as Lydia cut away the shirt.

“Done,” she said. The cut of the shirt was flattering now rather than constricting. The neckline plunged downwards in a way that didn’t show off Reese’s tan lines.

“You just...” Allison stammered. She got up off of the bed and stood face to face with Reese.

“I got that from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!” Lydia waved off her surprise.

“But doesn't she look hot?” Reese laughed out loud at that. No one had ever called her hot before. Not in a complementary way anyways (catcalls on the street don’t count).

“Okay, whatever. We only have about twenty minutes until we leave, so you two better figure your outfits out,” she said. Allison shook her head and chuckled.

Reese took that as a good sign.

* * *

The game was shitty. Reese kept her head buried in a book, half-heartedly cheering when the others did. As the crowd roared again, Reese was reminded of other sporting events she’d been to.

_The energy was running high in the band section of the stands._

_Reese never got tired of football games. She sang along and danced to the stand tunes that the band played. Her favorite ones were Low Rider and Crazy Train. T_

_he band director turned around and spoke into his megaphone: “Hey, Baby!” Everyone in the band cheered. Hey, Baby was one of everyone’s favorites._

_T_ _he band started and Reese nudged her friend Jenny with her side, moving her to action. Both girls started swaying their arms above their heads and sang obnoxiously._

_“Heeeyyyyy, ba-aby... I wanna knooowww... will you be my girl?”_

_It was like all of Reese’s problems went away at football games; she was just there to dance and have a good time. Out of all of the places she’d been to, it was the place that made her feel like she was almost home._

  
Another cheer broke her out of her daydream.

Lacrosse was just boring to her. There was no marching band, no halftime performances. Where was the fun?

“Suzanna! We won, we won!” Lydia shrieked. Reese stood up and stretched. Her back was bent for such a long time that it was starting to hurt. She liked Lydia, but that girl’s thoughts were just in a place that Reese couldn’t reach. Everyone started to flood onto the field to congratulate the players.

“Reese, did you see that last play?!” Scott said excitedly. He scooped her up into a hug and twirled her around. A little alarm went off in the back of her head at being grabbed but she ignored it. _This is Scott. It’s fine. It’s only Scott._

“Reese? That’s Suzanna.” Scott almost dropped Reese. Lydia was standing there with condescending look, obviously aimed at Scott.

“Reese is my middle name,” she smoothly lied. Lydia just shrugged and walked away.

“I’m spending the night at Allison’s so you’ll have to get another ride,” she shouted over her shoulder. Reese sighed and turned back to Scott. A small smile appeared on her face at Scott’s eager beaming.

“You ready to get some victory dinner?” she asked.

“Victory dinner?” Scott parroted in confusion. Reese just rolled her eyes. _This is lacrosse, not football._

“It’s this thing I do after football games...” She hesitated, seeing Scott’s look of confusion. She let out a long laugh at his puppydog face.

“Okay, tell you what. Go get the whole gang together and we’ll go to IHOP. Sound good?” Scott nodded and rushed off to find everyone else. Reese found herself smiling fondly after him. _Stop that, she reprimanded. You’re leaving soon. Remember that._

Reese shoved the voice into the corner of her mind and ran after Scott, determined to be happy for one night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has actually come sooner than my other ones. Go me.
> 
> I'm aiming for the next chapter to come out on Christmas. It's very Christmasy and feelsy so you have that to look forwards to.
> 
> To all my friends in NYC, the protests there are getting kinda violent. I was caught in one last week. If you're in them, cool, keep rockin. If you're not, stay safe.
> 
> ~Warrior


	7. Author's Note

Alright guys, it's been fun, but...

I've decided to do a rewrite of the first few chapters.

To me, the plot has a lot of holes in it and it's not really developed and I need to figure out where the story is going.

Thanks for all the support but this is being put on hiatus at least until the end of January, maybe even February.

See you guys next time.

~Warrior


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